Current NHL Stanley Cup Odds: Favorites & Contenders

Stanley Cup Odds: Betting Strategies

There are a number of fun ways to bet on the Stanley Cup this year. Different bet types offer bettors ways to focus on different aspects of the game. In this section, we’ll go through all the various bet types so you know what to expect. 

Stanley Cup Futures Bets

While most bets entail betting on events right around the corner, future bets focus on events way down the line. Futures are most popular for major sporting events, like the Stanley Cup final. If you’re interested in betting futures for the Stanely Cup Playoffs, you should get to it sooner rather than later. 

Stanley Cup Moneyline Bets

Moneyline bets are about as simple a bet as you can get. This bet type looks at who will be the outright winner of a match. Choose correctly, and you’ll have yourself a successful bet. 

Stanley Cup Point Spread Bets

You can think of point spreads as more complicated versions of moneylines. In addition to considering which team will win, bettors must decide on the margin of victory for the winning team, which is the spread. 

Stanley Cup Totals Bets

Totals, also known as over/unders, ask bettors to decide whether the total score of the game will be more or less than a number proposed by the sportsbook. Guess correctly, and your bet wins. 

Stanley Cup Player Props

Player props are a fun way to bet on the Stanley Cup without having to think about which team will win the game. Instead, these bets are all about player performance, whether it’s goals scored or penalties. 

Stanley Cup MVP Odds

Betting on the Stanley Cup MVP allows bettors to wager on who they think will be the most valuable player for the tournament. While star players might seem like an obvious pick, long-shots could earn you more winnings if you choose correctly. 

Live Betting Odds For The Stanley Cup

Live betting is an exciting way to wager in real-time. Most bets must be placed before the start of a match, and are finalized once the game is finished. Live betting gives bettors the flexibility to bet at any time while taking into account dynamic odds that change throughout the game. 
 

NHL Futures Betting

The Stanley Cup are a key focus of NHL futures betting. There are a few particular NHL futures that are particularly popular: 

Outright Winner

If you’re confident in which team will take home the Stanley Cup this season, you can check out betting on the outright winner.  Keep in mind, this bet requires a lot of long-term foresight, as team performance, injuries, and trades can all impact the outcome.

Winner of Each Conference

Betting on conference winners is a fun way to diversify your betting and focus on which teams will make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. It allows you to back a strong contender without needing them to win it all, making it a less risky but still rewarding futures bet.

Winner of Each Division

At an even smaller scale, NHL bettors can wager on which teams will finish on top of their divisions by the end of the regular season. While this is not directly a Stanley Cup Playoffs bet, it could inform your other Stanley Cup bets if you believe certain teams will perform particularly well. 

Which teams will meet in the Stanley Cup

Which two teams will make the Stanley Cup Final is the question one of the main questions on everyone’s minds throughout the NHL season. If you have a dream matchup that you think has a good chance of making it, you can use this kind of future bet to put your instincts to the test. 

Stanley Cup Trends

• There has not been a dominant conference this century. Since 2000, Western Conference teams have won the Cup 12 times and Eastern Conference teams have won 11 times.
• Since 2000, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks have each won three Cups. The Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings have won two Cups and the Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues and Las Vegas Golden Knights have won one Cup apiece this century.
• Over the past 12 seasons, four teams were first-time Cup winners. The Los Angeles Kings (2012), Washington Capitals (2018), St. Louis Blues (2019) and Vegas Golden Knights (2023) all won their first Cup.
• The best team during the regular season rarely wins the Cup. The previous time the best team during the regular season won the Cup was 2012-13 when the Blackhawks did it.
• Lower seeds pull upsets in the postseason. The Kings are the only No. 8 seed to win the Cup (in 2012), but plenty of other low seeds advance to the Cup Final. Just last season, the Florida Panthers advanced to the Cup Final after earning the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. In 2017, the Nashville Predators advanced to the Cup final as the final wild card from the Western Conference.

Stanley Cup Odds History

Its important to look at how betting odds have changed in history and what trends might be similar to this year,

Stanley Cup 57 Line Moves

The end of the 2023-2024 season saw 57 line movements leading up to the Stanley Cup. This is a good example of how dynamic and volatile betting lines for the Stanley Cup Playoffs can be. Many things impact lines, including injuries, team performance, trades, coaching style, and more. 

How have odds for previous Stanley Cup winners matched up with their performance?

Hockey is an incredibly dynamic sport, and tons of complex interactions can occur to change the trajectory of a team’s performance.  The odds for Stanley Cup winners generally perform well for the top favourites, but keep in mind this is not always the case. For example, the Vegas Knights had +1800 preseason odds of taking the cup in 2023, and went on to win their first championship. Generally, the odds are more reflective closer to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Stanley Cup Odds for Local Teams